To avoid the flow of customers, the company specially arranged for them to enter the amusement park at noon on weekdays to film the group show. Although the amusement park was not large and could not be compared to the most famous large-scale amusement parks, it had a wide variety of attractions. The haunted house inside was the legendary treasure of the park.
The weather was surprisingly good, and the sun warmed everyone's body. As soon as the car door opened, Kaledo's six boys scattered in all directions, as if they were ducks being released from a zoo.
"Wow, this roller coaster is so high!"
"I want to ride the pirate ship!"
"Is there a shooting game?"
It had been ten years since he last came to the amusement park. Looking at the facilities, Fang Juexia felt nostalgic. The sun was so bright that it was hard to open one's eyes. Fang Juexia raised a hand to cover his eyes and looked at the merry-go-round not far away.
The sun was a powerful weapon to create illusions. The scene in his field of vision was like a shaking old photo paper, and it became blurred as it shook. Suddenly, a seven or eight-year-old child appeared on the candy-colored merry-go-round, and the corners of his eyes were red. Next to him were his father and mother. They spun and spun, repeating the circular trajectory, as if they could spin and laugh like this for the rest of their lives.
That seemed to be the only time his parents accompanied him to the amusement park.
"You like this kind of children's play?"
Pei Tingsong's voice came from behind. Fang Juexia turned his head, broke free from his memories, and shook his head.
Pei Tingsong turned to look at him. "Then why are you so fascinated?"
Fang Juexia wore a white baseball cap inside out, revealing his whole face. He looked refreshed and comfortable. Pei Tingsong could not help but look at him a few more times. He saw that the white tips of his ears were almost translucent under the sunlight. Even the fine hair and capillaries on his ears could be seen clearly.
"I rode it when I was young."
He noticed that Fang Juexia's chest rose and fell, as if he took a deep breath.
"That's great. I've never been to a place like this when I was young," Pei Tingsong said casually.
"Really?" Fang Juexia found it unbelievable. "Your parents didn't take you there?"
Pei Tingsong put his hands in his pockets and shook his head. "I see them less than ten times a year."
Fang Juexia asked, "Simultaneously?"
Pei Tingsong shrugged. "Separate. The number of times we meet at the same time is even less. "
His voice was still a little hoarse, and he sounded a little pitiful when he said this. Fang Juexia was not very good at comforting others, and he was not much better. Moreover, Pei Tingsong had a strong personality and would definitely not want an outsider like him to comfort him.
Fang Juexia raised his head and smiled at him. "So this is your first time."
It was his first experience in an amusement park.
The birthmark at the corner of his eye was illuminated by the sunlight. It had a tinge of orange, like a piece of soft candy.
"Are you happy?"
Perhaps this sentence hit Pei Tingsong's nerve, or perhaps it was the rare smile on his cold face, but Pei Tingsong seemed to be possessed. He was really a little happy.
"What's there to be happy about? We're not children."
He turned his head and their shadows overlapped. They were closer to each other than they were to each other.
The director brought the cameraman over and gathered everyone together to record the opening material. After explaining the arrangements for the day, he finally led everyone to the highlight of the day.
"Today, our Kaleido horror special has arrived at the Abandoned School Hospital of the Horror Paradise! This is the most famous haunted house in the amusement park. There are two floors inside and only one route. Don't worry, you won't get lost. "
Ling Yi complained, "Director, do you think I'm afraid of getting lost?"
"Hahahahaha."
The haunted house in front of them looked different from the usual dark cave-like haunted houses. It was an old two-story building. It did look like an abandoned hospital. The walls were painted with red paint and the paint was almost peeling off. Right above the door, there were several large rusty signboards with the name of the hospital. Of course, the hospital had windows, but each window had been nailed up with thick wooden boards. It was airtight.
Fang Juexia looked up. Although his expression was calm, his heart was pounding.
It must be very dark in here …
He had been worried about this since last night. There were very few light sources in the haunted house. For someone with night blindness like him, going in there was no different from going blind.
Fang Juexia could already see himself bumping into things, crawling and rolling on the ground.
"This looks okay." Pei Tingsong looked like he was not afraid at all. "How scary can it be?"
"Xiao Pei is very brave for his age," Lu Yuan teased him.
He Ziyan added, "He's a demon himself. Why would he be afraid of ghosts?"
Jiang Miao laughed. "Ghost's Worry, Pei Tingsong."
The director continued with the introduction. "There are six of us in total. You can divide yourselves into groups."
"Isn't it just a walk around and we'll be done?" Pei Tingsong did not understand what was so scary about this place. He turned to look at his teammates. "Who's afraid?"
Everyone raised their hands in unison. Fang Juexia saw this and raised his hand half a beat later.
This group's soul always came out of nowhere.
The director shook his head. "It's not just a walk around. This time, to increase the difficulty, we've placed a Q doll in each room. There are six of you in total. After you go in, you have to take out all the dolls to complete the challenge. "
As soon as he said this, the group wailed.
"Why do we have to take out the dolls? What dolls? "
"Who can stay sane after going in!"
"Director, I don't want to go in. I really can't …"
"Okay." The director was already used to the group's whining and whining. He said sternly, "Now let's divide into groups."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ling Yi hugged Juexia's arm. "I want to follow Juexia! Juexia doesn't look like someone who's afraid of ghosts. I can't go wrong following him. "
Pei Tingsong glanced at the abandoned hospital. It was dark inside. With Fang Juexia's night vision, he would be blind if he went in.
"Fang Juexia, follow me." Pei Tingsong stepped forward and pulled him to his side.
"Why? First come, first served! Aren't you not afraid of ghosts? Why are you fighting with me? "Ling Yi held Fang Juexia's arm." Juexia, who do you want to follow? "
Fang Juexia was about to speak, but Pei Tingsong directly pulled him away and hid him behind him. He reached out a hand and pressed Ling Yi's small head, preventing him from getting closer.
"He'll definitely choose me. You can give up. "
The director interrupted in time. "How about this? Juexia, Ling Yi, and Xiao Pei will be in one group, and the rest will be Ziyan, Lu Yuan, and Xiao Miao. We'll split them according to age. Is that okay?"
Ling Yi: "Objection!"
Pei Tingsong: "Objection overruled."
After hearing the director's announcement, Fang Juexia broke free from Pei Tingsong's evil grip. He moved his wrists and came out from behind Pei Tingsong.
In fact, he almost said Pei Tingsong's name just now. If it was any other project, it would have nothing to do with anyone. However, there was no light in the haunted house, and Pei Tingsong was the only person who knew about his night blindness. It was more reliable to go in together.
"Then we'll go with Xiao Pei first."
Ling Yi shuddered. "We … we're starting so soon?" After saying that, he immediately stuck close to Juexia like a magnetic doll. "Juexia, you have to protect me."
"I'll try my best …" Fang Juexia's Adam's apple bobbed as he walked up the stairs with a heart full of anxiety.
Pei Tingsong followed behind the two of them. He saw Ling Yi reach out with a trembling hand and gently push open the dusty hospital door. With a creak, the door opened, and a gust of damp air rushed out from inside. Pei Tingsong's throat had not recovered yet, and he coughed as soon as he stepped in.
Hearing him cough, Fang Juexia turned to look at him and then quickly turned his head away.
The first floor was not much different from a normal hospital. The lobby was empty, and the chairs against the wall were also empty. Right in the middle of the lobby was a semi-cylindrical reception desk. There were large red arrow stickers on the floor, indicating the route for visitors who came in.
"Where could the doll be …" Ling Yi's voice was floating.
Fang Juexia was still calm. "It should be somewhere with cameras."
Following the arrow, the three of them slowly moved towards the reception desk. Ling Yi was so scared that he hid behind Fang Juexia and hugged his shoulders, only revealing half of his head.
Fortunately, the door was not closed, so they could still see a little.
Fang Juexia was just thinking about this when the door closed from the outside with a bang!
"Ahhh!" Ling Yi stamped his feet in fear. "You scared me to death!"
Fang Juexia was not surprised that Ling Yi was so scared. What was strange was that Pei Tingsong suddenly hugged his right side. Fang Juexia turned to look at Pei Tingsong in surprise. "You're scared too."
"Who said so? I'm trying to protect you."
Fang Juexia could not see his expression clearly, so he did not know if he was really scared or just faking it. If he was really scared, it would be over. Two timid people and a blind person, when would they be able to complete the mission?
Ling Yi's voice trembled. "It's too dark here … Is there not a single light?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the lobby was suddenly filled with eerie music from a music box. Ding dong ding dong, the music lingered in the lobby. Fang Juexia was quite brave, so he was affected by the gloomy atmosphere.
"Ah, this music is real." Pei Tingsong was about to curse. "I'm getting goosebumps."
The music suddenly paused, and seven or eight lights lit up on the walls of the hospital lobby, emitting a faint yellow light. However, they were useless to Fang Juexia. Suddenly, a girl's voice came from the radio. It was sweet yet eerie. "Welcome to the Scary School Doctor … What's wrong with you?"
The last word suddenly turned into a scream. A female ghost with disheveled hair stood up from the empty front desk not far from them. She was wearing a nurse's uniform and a nurse's cap. Her pupils were completely white, and her face was covered in blood. She was holding a document in her hand. She handed it over, and it was also covered in red.
"Ah ah ah ah ah!"
Two screams, one high and one low, were stacked together. Fang Juexia felt like his ears were about to explode, but he could not see anything clearly. He only felt that there was an empty space on his left side. Ling Yi seemed to have run away. He followed the sound of footsteps. "Ling Yi?"
"Ah, don't come over! I'm going out, I'm going out, please don't come over … "
She really ran away …
Fang Juexia was reminded of Pei Tingsong's scream earlier. "Didn't you say you weren't afraid?"
Pei Tingsong still had not recovered from the scare of the ghost nurse. His voice was weak. "I … I didn't know it would be so scary when I came in! Furthermore, I've never been to a Haunted House before. How would I know whether I'm afraid or not? "
"If you don't even know whether you're afraid or not, then just say you're not."
"What's the point of saying that now?"
The ghost nurse's eyes widened, and they darted back and forth between the two. Her hands were sore from holding them up, and she could not help but interrupt these two weirdos. "Hey, do you want it or not?"
"Yes." Fang Juexia could not see clearly, so he reached out to feel for it. However, the document was snatched away by Pei Tingsong in a flash. He was still bluffing. "You! Do you have a doll here? "
The ghost nurse pulled her wig aside and lowered her head to find a doll. "Here."
"Thank you …" Pei Tingsong took the doll and dragged Fang Juexia, who still wanted to bow, away. They heard the ghost nurse calling faintly from behind. "Remember to pass this paper to the doctor in Room 201."
They could hear Ling Yi's screams from the second floor from afar, each louder than the last.
"Ling Yi is singing in a dolphin voice." Fang Juexia raised his head to look up at the second floor.
Pei Tingsong's usual cool manner was nowhere to be found. All that was left was a trembling chatterbox. "Ah, it's so scary. It's too scary. Why did they have to create such a scary place? Are those who like to visit Haunted Houses all perverts? They've all gone crazy … "
Fang Juexia was practically dragged away by him. He was puzzled. "Aren't you a philosophy major? Why are you afraid of ghosts? Shouldn't you be an atheist? "
Following the direction of the red arrow, Pei Tingsong's long legs trembled as he walked to the stairs on the far right of the hall. With every step he took, a light on the wall next to the stairs lit up. It seemed to be a sensor light. "Who told you philosophy is atheism? In the early days, philosophy and religion were closely related! "
Even though he was afraid, he still carefully supported Fang Juexia and slowly walked up the stairs. "Besides, do atheists have to be brave? What kind of … "
They had just shakily moved to the corner when a ghost in a patient's gown suddenly stood up from the dark corner and lunged at them!
"fuck! What the f * ck … "
Pei Tingsong was so scared that he cursed. He threw himself at Fang Juexia and pushed him against the wall.
This was a group drama. Later on, they would have to silence him again. Fang Juexia reached out to cover his brother's mouth. "Shh … It's fake, it's fake. Your throat hasn't recovered yet. Don't scream. "
"Oh! Doll … Oh! "
Fang Juexia then remembered. "Right, right, did you drop the doll?" He let go of his hand, and Pei Tingsong also let go of him. He searched the floor for a long time before he found the doll that had fallen. He pulled Fang Juexia and was about to run.
"Thank you for your hard work." Fang Juexia bowed to the staff member based on his intuition, but he couldn't see, so he got the wrong direction.
A young man suddenly bowed to an empty wall, and it gave the staff a shock.
Pei Tingsong held Fang Juexia's hand tightly and dragged him up the stairs. He didn't dare look back. The sensor lights lit up with the sound of footsteps, and the two finally reached the second floor. Unlike the hall on the first floor, this floor was a long cross-shaped corridor with four rooms on both sides. Some of them were open, while others were locked. The lights on the ceiling were pale white, and a few of them seemed to be broken as they kept flashing.
Before he even took a step, Pei Tingsong's scalp went numb. "Can't this background music stop for a while? It won't stop!"
Fang Juexia gripped the document in his hand, still worried about the front desk. "The girl just said that we should go to Room 202 on the second floor to find the doctor."
"Yes, yes." Pei Tingsong put his arm around Fang Juexia's shoulder and hugged him like a crab as they moved to the right side of the corridor. They slowly moved forward. "Room 202 … 202, this one." He looked up and saw the iron plate for 202. There was something that looked like blood stains on the plate. Pei Tingsong didn't dare to look at it for long and walked to the closed door.
Fang Juexia also found the door. He habitually raised his hand and knocked. "Is anyone there?"
"There's no one, only ghosts!" Pei Tingsong twisted the doorknob.
Fang Juexia said seriously, "There is no such thing as …"
"Ah! holy shit!"
He was frightened by Pei Tingsong's cursing. He had no idea that a ghost was standing in front of them as soon as the door was opened. Fang Juexia couldn't see, so he walked forward and bumped into the staff member who was pretending to be a ghost.
"Huh? Sorry, sorry for bumping into you … "He reached out to touch the staff member and pulled Pei Tingsong past the fake ghost." Stop cursing people. "
"I didn't do it on purpose!" Pei Tingsong felt that every time he entered a new place, he would lose a part of his soul. However, Fang Juexia acted like nothing had happened. He didn't panic at all. "Fang Juexia, are you a pervert? You're not afraid at all. "
I can't see.
Fang Juexia held on tightly to the guide dog, who was on the verge of going berserk, and walked into the room slowly. He tried to ask, "Doctor?"
Pei Tingsong held the doll in one hand and Fang Juexia in the other. He forced himself to look around the room. The lights were dim, and the furnishings looked like a normal consultation room. There was a table not far in front of them, and behind the table was a swivel chair. The back of the chair was facing them.
Pei Tingsong instinctively knew that the swivel chair would be scary.
"High energy ahead, high energy ahead, high energy ahead …"
Fang Juexia frowned. "Why did you send a bullet screen?"
Pei Tingsong covered his eyes with the doll in his hand. Then, he grabbed the folder from Fang Juexia's hand and threw it on the table in front of him.
"Take … take it. Doctor, didn't you want … want this?"
Fang Juexia was amused by him. "Pei Tingsong, you're stuttering."
The chair did indeed swivel around, but Pei Tingsong could only see the doctor's lower body. He saw the doctor put away the folder, slowly pull open the drawer, and take out a chibi doll.
Pei Tingsong took a horse stance and reached out to grab the doll's leg. He picked it up and ran out. When he saw the ghost at the door, he shivered again.
"Are you leaving?" Fang Juexia reached for the door frame and waved behind him. "Goodbye."
"See you again?" Pei Tingsong shoved the two dolls into Fang Juexia's hands. "Quick, take them. Stand here and don't move." Then, he rushed to the open door on the opposite side. He narrowed his eyes and scanned the room quickly. Finally, he found a doll on a shelf filled with disgusting specimens and ran away. The fake corpse sitting inside didn't even have time to scare him before he watched the tall man run away.
Room 203 was an inpatient ward. There were three beds in it. Pei Tingsong pulled Fang Juexia into the ward with their fingers interlocked. The two of them walked close to the wall. Pei Tingsong looked around to see if there were any dolls. He mumbled, "Don't mess with me, don't mess with me, don't mess with me …"
The first two beds were empty. There were no patients or dolls on them. The curtains in front of the last bed were drawn.
"Ah, this must be very scary. I don't want to go over there. Please don't scare me, don't scare me …" Pei Tingsong shuddered as he approached the last bed.
Fang Juexia whispered beside him, "Your hands are shaking so badly."
"I, I'm not …" Pei Tingsong gritted his teeth and pulled the curtains open. He was so scared that he took a few steps back. "Ah!!!!"
"Wow, that's amazing. Your pitch was F5. Can't you sing a high note?"
"That's not the point!!"
His guide dog's fur was about to explode. Fang Juexia held back his laughter. He half-hugged Pei Tingsong and patted his back. "It's fake. It's all fake."
There was a fake corpse lying on the bed. The corpse's facial features were blurred. It was holding a doll in its arms.
"Ah, I can't, I can't," Pei Tingsong reached out two fingers and pulled the doll's head out. "There are four of them. There are two more. Let's go."
The last room was the morgue. It was filled with a faint green light. As soon as Pei Tingsong pushed the door open, the "corpses" inside collectively came to life. They sat up in unison. Pei Tingsong was so scared that his legs turned to jelly. He fell directly by the door.
"Epicurus, Democritus, Lucretius, Spinoza, Hobuslamet, Triferbahasat …"
Fang Juexia pulled Pei Tingsong up and asked in confusion, "What are you mumbling about?"
"The great atheists in history. God, god, god. Don't let them mess with me."
Fang Juexia could not hold back his laughter. He mimicked Pei Tingsong and said, "One one equals one, one two equals two, one three equals three, one four equals four …"
Pei Tingsong quickly found the last two dolls. "Why do you recite the multiplication table so often?"
"So often?" Fang Juexia did not understand. "When did I recite it?"
Pei Tingsong took his hand and ran out. "When I was drunk, I could recite it all night!"
"Is that so …"
Fang Juexia did not know what was going on. It was so dark that he could not see anything. He could only be dragged here and there by Pei Tingsong. He heard Pei Tingsong scream and curse, but he did not feel scared at all. He only felt that it was funny.
"You're still laughing." After leaving the morgue and returning to the corridor, Pei Tingsong leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. It was finally done. He should be done once he followed the arrow downstairs.
"How can you still laugh?"
Fang Juexia held a pile of dolls and tried to hold back his laughter. "Because you're very cute."
"Cute?" Pei Tingsong was not happy when he heard that. He pretended to be cool and powerful. "Who are you calling cute?"
However, this haunted house did not give him any breathing room. Just as he was about to say something, a group of one-legged people appeared at the end of the corridor. They were all wearing school uniforms and jumped toward them like zombies. Everyone held pens in their hands and made a gesture of poking.
Pei Tingsong was so scared that he cursed again in English. He thought that these ghosts would come to scare him. Who would have thought that they would come for Fang Juexia? They grabbed his shoulders and arms.
Fang Juexia, who was forcibly taken away, was still a little confused. "Eh? Why are there so many of them … "
"Ah, the dolls fell." Fang Juexia's mind was on the mission.
Even though he was scared out of his wits, Pei Tingsong still shuddered as he walked forward to pull the strange ghost students away. "Don't pull him, thank you … God! Big sister, your make-up is too scary … "
In the dark, he grabbed Fang Juexia's wrist. Pei Tingsong's heart that was hanging in the air relaxed. "Come here." With a yank, he pulled Fang Juexia back into his arms.
The ghost students behind them were still trying their best to act. Pei Tingsong had no choice but to push him against the wall. He tried to use his back to block the ghosts. "Don't come any closer. Go away, go away."
His approach was too hasty. He had no control over his strength or distance. Pei Tingsong lowered his head, but he did not have a good grasp of the situation and accidentally brushed against the man's cheek.
In the fleeting moment, soft lips brushed against the smooth skin and stopped beside his ear.
In the darkness and chaos, Fang Juexia could not feel anything. His back was pressed against the cold wall, but Pei Tingsong's chest that was pressed against him was warm, very warm.
Body to body, Pei Tingsong's chest rose and fell due to excitement. It brought out the tide of blood and flesh in Fang Juexia's body.
He could smell a small amount of perfume on Pei Tingsong's body. Sea salt mixed with a trace of musk. The fragrance curled up and brushed against Fang Juexia's cheek like its owner. Beside his ears was a hot gasp. It was amplified in the dark, elongated, and like seaweed, it curled around him and kissed his whole body.
The ambush, the scary ambush, the looped music, and the ghost in disguise, they were all ineffective before this.
It was not until this moment that Fang Juexia finally felt the feeling of trembling.
"It's okay, it's okay …" Pei Tingsong whispered, but it was unclear who he was talking to. He looked back tentatively and found that the ghost students had disappeared. He sighed in relief.
"They're finally gone." Pei Tingsong sighed and looked at Fang Juexia. "Do you still think I'm cute?"
Perhaps it was because of the darkness, but he saw that Fang Juexia seemed to be scared stiff. He was like a little rabbit, not daring to move.
He would be scared even if he could not see?
Suddenly, Pei Tingsong realized that they were too close to each other. He quickly separated and squatted down in a hurry. "The, the dolls all fell. Let me pick them up."
Fang Juexia leaned against the wall and took a deep breath.
He was like a stranded fish rescued by the tide.
"Let's go." Pei Tingsong hugged a bunch of dolls in his left arm and held Fang Juexia in his right. He hurried down the second floor corridor. He ran as fast as he could so that he would not trip. He followed the arrow and found the exit, which led to the cursed hospital.
"Wow! We're finally out! "
"Ling Yi, that coward, abandoned you and ran out with his short legs."
"You're the one with short legs!"
Jiang Miao walked over to console the two. "You're doing fine. You've taken them all out."
Pei Tingsong hugged the dolls, and his soul almost left his body. "I'm going to have nightmares tonight."
The director looked at the time. "29 minutes and 34 seconds. That's faster than we expected. Impressive!"
29 minutes and 34 seconds. Fang Juexia repeated this number in his heart before he realized that his internal clock had stopped working.
Due to Pei Tingsong's presence, it did not move for even a second. It was broken, completely broken.
It was a small haunted house, but they seemed to have walked and stayed for a long time. The time in his heart was no longer objective. It could not be measured and accumulated according to established standards.
He Ziyan glanced at their hands. "You're still holding hands."
The two shuddered at the same time and hurriedly separated their tightly interlocked hands.
"The next group is going in! Ziyan, Yuanyuan and Miao Miao, get ready!"
"Okay —"
Fang Juexia walked a few steps forward alone and squatted down. He did not know why he was still afraid. He did not see a single ghost.
"Are you okay?" Pei Tingsong walked to him and squatted down as well. "You were in a hurry. Did you hurt yourself? Let me take a look."
Fang Juexia shook his head. He took off his hat and put it back on his head. The brim of the hat covered his eyes and he buried his head in his knees. He stretched his slender neck. The light shone on the thin layer of sweat on his neck, revealing his bare skin.
"What's wrong?" Pei Tingsong squatted down in front of him. Their knees touched, and he reached out to cover the back of his neck.
Fang Juexia said in a muffled voice, "Nothing, it's just …"
His palms were covered with a layer of damp sweat, as if trying to press his burning body temperature under his skin and press into his flesh together with the soft breathing beside his ears.
"My legs are a little weak."